If this email is clipped—or photos are not displayed—click the "View entire message" link at the bottom of the email. School LIFE is the newsletter of the Milpitas Unified School District. If you have stories for our next issue, please send them to Scott Forstner.
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A year in review through the eyes of our MUSD mascots |
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2 021 weighed heavily on all of us, and yet, like the Phoenix, we have demonstrated resilience in so many ways:
- Like the Dons, our student nutrition, maintenance, operations, transportation, technical, and clerical teams acted honorably in establishing safe environments and providing food for all;
- Stealthy like the Panther in finding ways to meet technology demands given global supply chain issues;
- Garnering the flexible strength of the Mustangs in meeting ever changing COVID protocols;
- Our MUSD team and students undeniably took on the bravery of the Tiger in reinstating in-person learning;
- The adventuring spirit of the Jaguar yielded partnerships with SJCC, SJSU, and EVCC as well as $550,000 in grants to benefit learner pathways and computer science education;
- Following an Eagle’s commitment to its young, striving to build a sense of WE so our learners can soar;
- Acting as Scholars in examining how to better meet the needs of all students;
- Warriors like the Trojans in re-connecting students to school;
- Fierce as Wolverines in inclusion of different voices throughout our learning experiences;
- Using Spartan ingenuity to design personalized pathways both online and in-person;
- Like the gregarious Bulldog, teachers, principals, Board, parents, and staff created opportunities to strengthen community;
- With the tenacity of the Wildcat, students and employees are establishing a shift towards elevating the importance of well-being in education;
- The curiosity of our Little Ones and hope of our Adult Learners as evidenced in our conversations about what we keep and what we change, and how we bridge school and work for the future; and
- Like the Stars, our vision and Strategic Goals illuminate the work ahead as we strive to meet the demands of not only the 4th industrial revolution, but the metaverse.
WE are MUSD, a community of learners committed to All.
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State Board Member of Year's blog |
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There is Power in Good Work |
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Jonas Salk said, "The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more." Tom Sachs said, "The reward for good work is more work.”
As I reflect on the most challenging year of being a member of the Milpitas Unified School District Board of Trustees, I am extremely grateful for the work well done. I'm grateful for the work accomplished by my local and regional colleagues, our employees and parents of Milpitas Unified, and the community in service of our families and children.
Our community-based partners are providing acts of kindness daily for our families and children.
Our religious institutions are offering prayers, places of refuge and resources for spiritual health and physical well-being for our families and children.
Our mental health practitioners and district leaders are continuously implementing measures that keep employee morale and self-care top of mind for our families and children.
Our police, fire fighters, first responders, and healthcare workers are visible and accessible to all providing collaborative strategies for the public safety of our families and children.
Our families and children are modeling and reflecting our examples through their giving, volunteerism, leadership and community service for others.
There is Power in Good Work.
Chris Norwood
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Students support needy through Jack Emery food drive |
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There is no holding back when it comes to generating donations for the annual Jack Emery Food Drive. Some of the most creative methods are on the Milpitas HS campus, where students have taken pies to the face and been duct-taped to poles in the name of Jack Emery. They also take to social media in an all-out effort to generate donations.
Over the last three school years alone, the Jack Emery has totaled a remarkable $231,763.82 worth of donations.
Associated Student Body President Kush Brahmbhatt, who serves as the Jack Emery Lead Coordinator, and his team of student advocates already worked to eclipse Milpitas High's major goal of 22,000 collections with more than 30,000 cans or monetary donations counted as of early December. The Jack Emery runs through December 14.
"The purpose of the Jack Emery is to serve our local community in need with supplies lasting the entire year," Brahmbhatt shared. "We also put a special emphasis on providing everyone with a smooth holiday season without needing to worry about where to get food from."
While the MHS student body organizes the food drive, with student clubs also distributing flyers throughout the community, each MUSD school site and department takes part in the district-wide initiative that helps to feed about 4,000 local families throughout the year at the Milpitas Food Pantry.
This year, the Kiwanis Club donated $1,600 and the Parti Program pledged a matching donation of up to 10,000 cans.
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Burnett students create, test out own games for PBL carnival |
Burnett Elementary School students enjoy the games they designed and built for this year's 6th Grade Project Based Learning Carnival. Students crafted design plans and prototypes for this PBL project before testing them out.
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Alumni Profile: Angela Gibson, Milpitas HS Class of 1991 |
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Director of the publications program at the Modern Language Association (MLA), a membership organization for language and literature educators that advocates for the teaching and study of world languages, Milpitas High School Class of 1991 alumna Angela Gibson is a self-made literary professional passionate about her life’s work.
“I’ve had the opportunity to take on new roles and grow professionally supporting an organization that does work I care deeply about,” said the 48-year-old NYC resident with a Phd and Masters in English from the University of Rochester as well as a BA in Liberal Arts from Hampshire College.
Hired as a copy editor at the MLA in 2001, Gibson wrote her dissertation while holding the full-time position in order to live in New York City. The MLA, founded in 1883, publishes books, journals, and digital resources for teachers, students, and writers at all levels, including the MLA Handbook.
Gibson is a true product of MUSD--attending Sinnott, Zanker, Rancho and MHS, where she encountered many inspirational educators that helped nurture her interests.
“The teachers were incredibly dedicated, creating learning environments that helped students grow intellectually and develop critical thinking skills,” said Gibson, vividly recalling Jack Weinstein’s class on the Holocaust. “It encouraged students to see how people’s day-to-day decisions contributed to the genocide and to use the study of history to better understand how we can make ethical decisions in the world.”
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John Sinnott Hero Day 2021 connects elementary students
with community heroes
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John Sinnott Hero Day 2021 was a momentous occasion for all those who were attended today's Sinnott Elementary School PTA organized Hero Day event in partnership with the PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention & Support) program.
The special day included picture time and engagement with kids, writing on hero book/card for kids, encouragement to be kind and to make good decisions, and connecting MUSD students to our community heroes.
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By Minh Ngo
MUSD Board of Education Clerk
The 2021 Annual Education Conference (AEC) in San Diego, CA brings 3,000+ colleagues from across the state to discuss relevant and important education topics such as student achievement, community engagement, and budget and finance. This is my first opportunity to attend the AEC in person to hear from amazing speakers, participate in enriched learning opportunities, and a variety of networking opportunities.
With the mindset similar to an ambitious student looking for all the AP and Honor courses, I set out to maximize and diversify my schedule. I focus on attending the following workshops: “Marketing your district: A Framework for Impact”, “Improving Student Achievement without Additional Funding”, “Accelerated Learning to Address Learning Loss”, “Meeting the Needs of Long term English Learners in California Public Schools”, “CIF – The Role of Education Based Athletics After COVID 19”, along with hearing from our guest speakers Dr. Victor Rios – Associate Dean of Social Sciences and Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara and Elaine Welteroth - Award-wining journalist, NYT bestselling author.
One of the presentations that I will highlight is the impactful case study of Education disruption and recovery in our own Country’s history during Hurricane Katrina. The decision then to repeat grades for the lost time was detrimental to the growth of the student. Based on the findings, a model of Accelerated Learning was developed and implemented to provide supplemental instruction to address gaps.
Team building is part of AEC and for our fellow board members that stayed after the general session, we had an opportunity to celebrate our very own 2020 Board Member of the Year Chris Norwood on stage. We work as a governance team to lead our district for the future of all our students. I left San Diego with renewed insight and knowledge to support our MUSD community of life long learners.
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#MUSDfamily Vaccination clinic safeguards students, families |
The #MUSDfamily vaccination clinic returned to Robert Randall Elementary School on Saturday, Dec. 11 with great success. At the end of the day, 1,191 total doses were administered for Youth Ages 5-11 and Boosters Ages 16 and older.
At the initial #MUSDfamily clinic on Nov. 20, there were 620 vaccines administered with 450 Pfizer first doses going to Youth Ages 5-11 and 170 Boosters to Adults Ages 18 and older. MUSD partnered with Bay Area Community Health to make this possible.
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Attention MUSD families of current sophomores: The Milpitas Middle College High School is accepting applications beginning January 31 for next school year.
Milpitas Unified School District's newest college and career readiness program, housed at the San Jose City College-Milpitas Extension, offers three pathways: Education-Social Work, Health Sciences, and Business-Entrepreneurship.
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Milpitas Teachers Association (MTA) President Diana Orlando, a teacher at Pomeroy Elementary School, California School Employees Association (CSEA) Chapter 281 President Machelle Kessinger, a Staff Secretary, and Milpitas Unified School District Superintendent Cheryl Jordan were all recipients of Assemblymember Alex Lee’s 2021 Unsung Hero Award.
The award was given to those who volunteered their time or stepped up tremendously to make our community a better place.
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Rancho 7th grade girls basketball team wins league championship |
With a 24-14 victory over crosstown rival Russell Middle School, the Rancho Milpitas MS seventh grade girls basketball team secured the East Side Athletic League championship on Dec. 2 at Chaboya MS.
The Dons beat Martin Murphy and Chaboya to reach the championship game.
Congrats to both Rancho and Russell for successful seasons!
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Name: Aris Padilla
Position: Computer Technician
Site/Department: Tech Services
I am excited to work in MUSD because: I like the opportunity to give something back to the community that I belong.
To make me feel more a part of the district family, you could: The department made me feel part of the district family on my first day.
A fun fact about me: I like to road bike during my spare time. Spending time with my wife and kids (playing video games and sport activities).
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Name: Norman Ngim
Position: Computer Technician
Site/Department: District Office/Technology Services
I am excited to work in MUSD because: It is an interesting change from an industry of doctors and patients to an industry of teachers and students.
To make me feel more a part of the district family, you could: Actually my office did a great job in welcoming me!
A fun fact about me is: I wake up at 4:30am three times a week to run 8 miles around Milpitas.
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Weller Elementary impacts school community |
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Milpitas High Marching Band and Colorguard |
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Latest community activities from our District Calendar |
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Have a look at our District Calendar for information on more upcoming events, meetings and more. Here's the link.
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MUSD | Phone: (408) 635-2600 |
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